LA Kings Earn Point But Fall to Devils in OT

Ryan Cowley March 13, 2016Comments Off on LA Kings Earn Point But Fall to Devils in OT

Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

Game 67; 40-22-5

LOS ANGELES — They fell behind the 8-ball early but a hard-fought effort earned them a point. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be in overtime as the Los Angeles Kings lost just their third game of the season in the extra frame, falling to the New Jersey Devils by a 2-1 count.

Thanks to a bounce off the side of the net, Tyler Kennedy put the Devils out in front early, scoring his third just 1:12 into the game.

Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

Keith Kinkaid, who shut the Kings out on Valentine’s Day, was looking to do the same and, for the most part, he was successful. However, at the 14:36 mark of the second, the Kings finished off a long, hard-working shift with a goal as Anze Kopitar pounced on a Milan Lucic rebound to beat Kinkaid for his 21st to tie it. Alec Martinez got the other assist.

A defensive battle from start to finish, this contest went into overtime where the Kings were a very impressive 10-2. On this night, though, despite a few good chances, it was the road team who had the last laugh as John Moore scored with just 16 seconds remaining to give the Devils the win and the season sweep against the silver-and-black.

Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

For the Kings, their lack of efficiency on the power play is arguably what did them in on this night. While the Devils deserve credit for killing off all five of their infractions, the Kings just could not do much in the form of attacking when a man up. They had their chances here and there but overall, the man advantage did not have one of their better nights.

Despite the loss, Jonathan Quick was solid. While his 24 saves were less than Kinkaid’s 34, Los Angeles’s star netminder made a number of key saves to help his team get into overtime and earn a point.

Overall, certainly not a bad night to end their homestand, but now the Kings hit the road for a couple, beginning on Monday night at the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks.

About Ryan Cowley

Ryan Cowley has been writing about the Los Angeles Kings since 2009, beginning as the head writer and editor of Make Way for the Kings since its inception. Until the summer of 2015, Make Way was run by the FanvsFan Network (www.makewayforthekings.com) but has since become independent at its new address: www.makewayforthekings.net
Ryan is an NHL-accredited writer who has covered such events as the Stanley Cup Final and Stadium Series. He is also a graduate of Comedy Writing & Performance from Humber College in Toronto, Ontario.